Laurel Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Having Sex with a 7-Year-Old

Laurel Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Having Sex with a 7-Year-Old

GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Anthony Palomino-Coronado, age 21, of Laurel, Maryland, today to 30 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexual abuse of a minor to produce child pornography. Judge Titus ordered that upon his release from prison, Coronado must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.

“Child exploitation cases often turn your stomach, and this is one of them,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to evidence presented at Coronado’s five-day trial, on May 2, 2012, the Prince George’s County Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding a missing 7-year-old female child. During the subsequent search, at approximately 2:20 a.m., the child was found next to a privacy fence that separated the child’s residence from Coronado’s. At the base of the fence on Coronado’s side, officers found an empty condom wrapper. The child was not wearing any underwear and told officers that Coronado asked her to meet him at his house and then helped her get back into her yard when the police arrived.

Witnesses testified that during subsequent separate interviews with a sexual assault nurse, Prince George’s County Police detective, and FBI child forensic interview specialist, the victim stated that she had been to Coronado’s home, specifically his basement, 10 times; that Coronado had been engaging in sexual activity with her, including vaginal sex; and that Coronado had taken pictures of her, with and without her clothes on, with his black and red cell phone.

Trial evidence showed that a search warrant executed at Coronado’s residence recovered, among other things, a black and red cell phone, which contained a photo documenting Coronado’s sexual abuse of the child. A forensic examination established that the photo was taken on March 20, 2012, and had been deleted. In addition, six photos of the victim clothed, in the basement, and under the light of a flashlight were also found on the phone. Digital data established that these photos were taken on May 2, 2013, between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. According to trial testimony, after his arrest the next day, Coronado denied engaging in sex activity with the victim but admitted that during the night of May 2, 2012, the victim was at his home between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., “playing games.”

During trial, on November 20, 2013, the victim testified that Coronado had engaged in sexually explicit conduct with her and identified herself and Coronado in the child pornography picture found on Coronado’s cell phone, as well as in the clothed pictures taken on May 2, 2012, in the basement of Coronado’s residence.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley, who prosecuted the case.